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Public gets first look at downtown gathering space concept

The first preliminary conceptual renderings of what a new gathering space in downtown Minot could look like have been released to the public.

City Manager Tom Barry presented the renderings Monday night at the City Council’s regular June meeting. Minot was awarded $74.3 million in January 2016 from the National Disaster Resilience Competition. One of the projects identified in the city’s application was a downtown public gathering space.

The concept Barry presented to the City Council uses property currently owned by Trinity Health, located along North Broadway between Second and Third avenues, as a potential site for the downtown gathering space. Barry emphasized that no agreements have been executed with Trinity, and discussions about the property at this point are simply that: discussions.

In accordance with the application Minot submitted and eventually agreed to with Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as part of the NDR competition, the downtown gathering space must meet a variety of criteria. The site must be at least two acres in size, and must be a central gathering space for recreation, entertainment, festivals and other public events. The site must be within city limits, and must have centrality, accessibility and visibility.

The City held multiple public meetings before creating and submitting its application, and many of the amenities included in the first conceptual renderings came from direct public input. During those public discussions, many amenities were identified as being important in a potential gathering space, including walking paths, a band shell, a playground, a stage/performance area, a permanent covered shelter, a fountain, greenspace, heritage and cultural attributes and space for booths for events such as farmer’s markets.

The goal is to improve the resiliency and help revitalize downtown Minot. There is $6 million available to fund the gathering space project. The funding expires on Sept. 30, 2022.